


Safe Harbor

by Flynne



Series: Garviel Shepard [10]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gen, idiot cinnamon roll bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 18:07:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15442821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flynne/pseuds/Flynne
Summary: Short story set after Leviathan.





	Safe Harbor

Even with his armor’s environmental controls trying to compensate, Garv still shivered. The chill was bone-deep, and had less to do with the rain that had made its way beneath his collar and more to do with the leviathan forcing its way into his mind. Ann Bryson and the scientists on Mahavid had talked about being somewhere dark and cold. There hadn’t been darkness, but the icy touch of the ancient creature clung to him like a second skin. **  
**

The shuttle was quiet on the way back; Cortez was preoccupied with keeping the damaged kodiak on course, and Garrus and Akil both spent the trip darting glances in his direction. Garrus’ mandibles flicked outward every so often, and even though Akil’s face would appear blank and composed to most people, Garv could see that his brother’s gut-wrenching worry had not completely faded even though he was no longer out of sight beneath the roiling waves. Unsurprisingly, only EDI seemed at ease.

Cortez let out a heavy sigh of relief once the kodiak settled in the Normandy’s shuttle bay. Garv’s legs shook as he stood, but he was able to get to his feet unaided. The throbbing in his head intensified at the movement. He felt a warm thread running down his face and reached up to wipe a fresh trickle of blood away from his nose.

Akil’s gaze sharpened. “Time to check in with Dr. Chakwas, I think.” His tone was mild but Garv knew an order when he heard one.

“Yes, Dad.” Garv couldn’t quite manage the flippant tone he’d been aiming for, but he was rewarded by an amused snort from Garrus and a flat look from Akil. “Don’t worry, I was gonna go anyway,” he said, the sarcastic edge fading from his voice.

“Do you need any help?” Garrus asked.

“Nah, I’m good. You helped enough by dragging me back to the shuttle. Thanks, by the way. Getting stomped on by a brute wasn’t exactly how I wanted this mission to end.”

“How exactly  _did_ it end?” James piped up from his work bench. “What the hell did you do down there?”

Garv frowned thoughtfully, then winced as the shift of muscles in his face caused another spike of pain to lance between his temples. “I’m not sure. A Reaper is dead, and we might have found an ally, but…I don’t know. What’s done is done. We’ll have to wait and see.” He reached over his shoulder to retrieve his assault rifle and set it on the weapons bench, but when he took hold of the heavy black widow on his back, his numb fingers fumbled. Akil was just behind him and his hands shot out to catch the weapon before it could clatter to the deck. Garv gave his brother a faint smile in thanks, then turned and trudged to the elevator.

Dr. Chakwas was on her feet and looking at the door when he entered the med bay. “You look like you’re expecting me,” Garv said.

“EDI told me you were on your way,” Chakwas replied. “Sit.” She activated her omni-tool as Garv headed for one of the beds, beginning her scan of his head and nervous system while she waited for him to remove his chest plate. Even though his armor seals had held and kept out the rain, his undersuit was damp and chilled with sweat, and his shivering grew worse in the cool air of the med bay. The lines of concentration on Chakwas’ face eased as she examined him, though, and when she met his gaze she gave him a spare, relieved smile.

“Well, Commander, you seem to be all right. Your core temperature is a degree and a half below normal. I know it doesn’t feel very good but it’s not serious. And aside from a few minor fluctuations in your electrolytes and adrenal levels, you appear to be fine.”

He rubbed his forehead. “So it only  _feels_ like my brains got scrambled.”

“Your neural scan is normal,” she replied. “But I can give you something for the pain.”

Garv swallowed the pair of tablets Chakwas handed him and picked up his chest plate, carrying it with him as he walked to the elevator once more. He leaned against the wall as it carried him up to his cabin, and a sigh drained out of his chest as he finally entered his quarters. He set the chest plate on the floor by the locker as he rummaged for a clean t-shirt and a pair of sweats.  He stared at the discarded plate for a moment or two before giving a resigned shrug and, leaving it where it was, heading for the bathroom. He shucked off the rest of his armor and left it in a pile on the entryway floor, ignoring the guilty twinge of conscience from his military training, and stumbled into the shower.

He stood beneath the hot water for a long time, until the worst of his shivering had abated. The medication Chakwas had given him started to kick in, and he let out another relieved sigh as the steady throb between his temples began to fade. He didn’t realize his eyes had closed until he listed to the side and his shoulder bumped up against the wall. Shaking his head at himself, he scrubbed the sweat and smell of spent thermal clips from his hair and turned off the water, hurrying to dress even though he was so tired that his limbs felt cumbersome and heavier than usual.  

Steam wafted out of the bathroom as he emerged. He stopped short, surprised to see that the pile of armor he’d left on the floor had been cleared away. He smiled faintly and looked toward the main part of the cabin, not surprised at all to see Akil sitting on his couch, reading a book.

Akil lifted his head. “There are more effective ways to booby-trap your entryway than leaving a pile of armor in front of the door, you know.”

“It was the best I could do on short notice,” Garv replied. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hooded sweatshirt and shuffled over to the couch, sagging onto the cushions with a muffled groan.

Akil marked his page and shut his book. “Are you all right?”

“I think so.” He scrubbed a hand across his face, letting himself slump over until his shoulder pressed against his brother’s. “I don’t know, Aki. I don’t know if I did the right thing by waking that thing up.”

“It was already awake,” Akil said matter-of-factly.  “It was just a question of whether or not it was going to fight. And who it was going to fight for.”

“I’m not sure exactly where we stand there either.” The shudder that ran through him had nothing to do with the lingering cold. “It said it wanted to keep me.”

“It wanted to  _what?_ ”

“I dunno what it thought it was going to do. Hide me from the Reapers, keep me down there…? It had to have known I couldn’t stay there long.” Garv’s voice was steady, but his heart thudded heavily at the memory of being alone in the dark with the crushing weight of the ocean above him. He’d never been a fan of deep water, but he hadn’t anticipated the mounting fear that had gripped him more tightly with each passing fathom as he’d descended. He’d been skirting the edge of panic by the time he’d found the leviathan, and only his discipline as a soldier had allowed him to remain calm and focused. “And it had to know that you’d all be able to tell it was controlling me. I mean…we saw what it did…”

“But it let you go.” Akil’s tone gentled as he saw his brother’s lingering distress, and he leaned into Garv’s shoulder in return. Garv took a steadying breath, his brother’s calming presence and the silent message of  _you’re here, you’re safe_ , allowing him to relax. Akil felt his tension dissipating, and his mouth quirked in a half smile. “And then it killed a Reaper with a single energy pulse. I’d say that’s a probably good sign.”

Garv snorted, smiling reluctantly in return. “We can only hope.”

“That’s true,” Akil said, opening his book again. “But you’re pretty good at hoping.”

He huffed a silent laugh. “I do my best.”

“That’s been good enough so far.” Even though Akil’s book was open, his attention was still focused on his brother, and he recognized the pinched look around his eyes. “How’s the head?”

“Better than it was.”

Akil let out a little sigh and lifted his arm to drape it around him. Garv was taller, but after he shuffled himself down a bit on the cushions and leaned in to tuck himself against Akil’s side, he managed to fit with his head resting comfortably on his brother’s shoulder. Akil moved his hand up to rest against the top of his head. He threaded his fingers absently through Garv’s drying hair as he started to read once more. Garv smiled tiredly. Even though he knew it was probably due to the painkillers he’d downed earlier, the last of his headache seemed to slowly dissipate beneath the warmth of Akil’s hand.

He let out a long sigh and shut his eyes. He really didn’t have time to fall asleep; Ann Bryson was waiting for his call. He knew he’d also have to check the latest reports on Reaper movements to see whether or not what had happened on Despoina had attracted their attention, and how they were responding. Cortez was due to check in with a status report on the kodiak, or with a list of required parts if the shuttle needed more repairs. And he knew the asari councilor was waiting impatiently for a sitrep from Thessia. They’d need to head there soon, and he’d have to make sure his armor didn’t need any repairs before they arrived at the asari homeworld.

“Stop that,” Akil said vaguely. He didn’t look up from his book, but stopped carding his fingers through Garv’s hair long enough to give the top of his head a light tap.

Garv blinked his eyes open. “Stop what?”

“I can  _feel_ you thinking.” Akil turned his head to look down at him. “Rest, Garvi. The galaxy will still be here in an hour.”

A strained laugh escaped. “You sure about that?”

“Of course,” Akil said airily. “You know I’m never wrong.”

In spite of the exhausting, difficult day, Garv found himself smirking in response to the familiar teasing. “Oh, I do, huh?”

“Yes. You do.”

“Ok, just so we’re clear, I guess.” Garv let himself rest more heavily against Akil and closed his eyes again. It was difficult to slow his thoughts at first, but the solid warmth of his brother, the reassuring hand on his head, and the quiet sound of pages turning eventually chased away the last of the shivers and allowed him to relax. Before he’d realized it, he’d drifted away.


End file.
